Improvement in fire-proof buildings



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INVENTOR V 'TME ,v/ "nu i WITNESS time Lstwt tp o EDWIN MAYloF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.

Letters Patent'No. 86,312, dated Janna/ry 26, 1869..

IMPROVEMENT IN PIRE-PROOF'BUILDING-S.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent; and making part of the same.

To all whom 'it 'ma/y concern Be it known that I, EDWIN MAY, of Indianapolis, in the county of Marion, and State of Indiana, have invented new and useful Improvements in the Mode of Rendering Buildings Fire-Proof; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, that will enable skilled artisans to make and use it, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, making part of'this specification.

This invention consists, first, in the mode of applying segmental arches, made of plates, of -thin sheetmetal, to be attached toand supported between and near the upper edges ofwooden floor-joists, arching over the space between them, and arranged to carry the least practicable sucent quantity of non-conduct ing or lire-proofing material to be laid thereon, to cover and encase the upper edges of the joists, in such a manner as to prevent their ignition at the top by thehuru.

ing' of the flooring-boards and upper part of the buildv ing, and at the same time to admit ofthe flooring-boards being laid thereon, and nailed to the joists without disarranging the intervening fire-proofing material.

And it further consists in the novel form-of the sheet-metal laths that are employed on the ceilings and walls, by which they are rendered susceptible of being more easily and cheaply manufactured and applied than the metallic laths heretofore in use, and which is also such as to constitute nearly a doublewall of sheet-metal, leaving Van intervening space that is filled by the mortar or fireproong material, in the process of putting it on, forming a substantial key, and preventing the Waste of the material.

The invention still further consists in the peculiar construction of a hollow cast-iron furring-stud, that may be employed to hold the laths off the wooden joi'sts or studding, and which may be easily and conveniently attached to the laths preparatory to nailing them to the joists or studding.

Figure lis a perspective view of a section of flooring, and stud-partition erected thereon, with my improvements applied thereto.

Figures 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6, are detail views of my` improvements, showing more particularly their construction and arrangement.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in's the several figures.

A ar the wooden floor-joists.

l B, ilooring.

G, studding for partitions or sidewalls.

D, lling of plaster or re-proon g material over the metal laths.

E, the same, over the segmental arch lof sheetmetal H.

G, sheet-metal laths for ceilings or partitions.

M, hollow cast-iron furrin'g-studs.

The sheet-metal segmental arches H are formed with angles, to rest on the upper edges of the joists, that they may the better sustain the weight of the reprooiing material. They are also formed in a manner to leaveirecesses in the haunches, so as to receive and contain the greatest Vquantity of the material against the sides and about Jthe upper edge of the joists, the better to protect them against excessive heat.

The. edges of the sheetemetal plate of which the segmental arch is formed, are turned, up in a vertical position, as shown at N, leaving a space between them, along'the top of the joists, to be lled with the iireproofing material, as shown at O.

' Gare should be taken that the vertical edges N are all turned of one width, so that when the segmental arches are all laid in place, these edges will be as level as the top edges of the joists.

The segmental arch-plates H are all prepared in the form shown, previously to being applied to the joists, and when placed in position, the fire-proofing material Eend O'is to be. filled in, andlevelled bythe edgesN, and after it becomes suiioently dry, the floor is laid down and nailed to the joists through the lilling 0, any defects in which should be made good as the work progresses.

In this manner the upper'edges of the joists will be completely coveredA and encased by the fire-proofing material. This manner of lire-proofing also subserves the same purpose as the ordinary deafening generally employed in good buildings, and at about the sameI `is such that the part nailed against the studs or joists forms a connected wall of the sheet-metal on the back or upper side, that prevents the lire-proofing material from going through to the back, thus preventing waste of the material. The form is also such that they may be as conveniently nailed to the studs orjoists as wooden laths, besides which, when put on, they form nearly a double wall of sheet-metal, leaving a space between the outer and inner surfaces, to receive the flre-prooing materialthat is pressed into it, and which constitutes a substantial key or clinch to hold the material, and in case of re, the material enclosed in this space will be less liable tol become disarranged by the heat.

The outer surface of the laths may also.be pierced with holes, if desired, through which the mortar on thel surface will be connected with that in the space between the' inner and outer surfaces of the lath, thus aiiording additional security against the mortar be# v.coming separated from the laths.

When appliedto the ceiling-j oists, to fire-proof ceilings, either with or without the tuning-studs M, these Flaths forma close flooring on the upper' side, to receive and hold the re-proong material which is -to be placedthereon between the joists. The advantages of this will be readily understood when it is remem- Y bered that the lire-proofing is all to be applied before Vthe floor is laid, leaving the plastering to be put on after all hammering is done, as in the ordinary manner, thus avoiding the liability to jar it loose.

Other forms of sheet-metal laths may be used, such,

n forninstance, as those shown at F, but the form of these l renders them more diicultlto manufacture, and also involves the necessity oil using long-headed nails, such `as shown. at K, to fasten them to the joists orstuds.

To obviate the use of nails of-un usual construction, and also for the reasons abeve given, I prefer the laths made in the forni shown at Gf. y

When itv is desired to interpose the fire-proofing material between the metal laths and the studs or joists, I have devised the hollow cylindrical urring-studs M,

whichare to be attached to the laths before putting'i -driving a .punch through the laths into the small hole,

formed as above described. The burr ofthe lath clinch- .poses set forth.

ing the edges of the metal around the hole in the furringstud,secnrely holds it, and when thus previously prepared, it'will be readily understood that the laths,

with the furring-stud attached', may be as readily nailed to the joists as the common wooden lath's.

I am aware that metallic laths have been applied to the under side ofjoists, and also to Wooden partitions, to hold plaster or fire-proofing material, instead of wooden laths, but these, for the most part, have been impraeticable, on account of their form rendering them expensive to manufacture and diicult to apply.

. I make no claim to metallic laths broadly, nor do I make any claim broadly to metallicfurring-studs,for holding the metal laths/oii the door or/wall-timbers, as these have been used before;4 but i 1 What I doclaimv as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, isfy 1. The furring L, constructed as described, in com-- bination with metal laths F and nails K, asshown Ain fig. 2, substantially as and for the purposes set forth. 2. The metal lath G, when constructed as shown in iig. 6, in lcombination with nails K and studs M, substantially as and for the purposes set forth. n

3. 'Ihev arch H, when provided with parts N, constructed and applied substantially as and for the pur#` EDWIN MAX2 Witnesses i 0. F. MAYHEW, 

